NCJ Number
54016
Date Published
1976
Length
41 pages
Annotation
A RESTROSPECTIVE STUDY CONDUCTED AT THE ROYAL CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA, IDENTIFIED 316 CHILDREN INVOLVED IN 394 INCIDENTS OF SUSPECTED CHILD ABUSE BETWEEN 1967 AND 1973. THESE CASES ARE ANALYZED.
Abstract
THE STUDY ATTEMPTED TO IDENTIFY THE INCIDENCE OF SUSPECTED ABUSE CASES AT THE HOSPITAL AND TO GATHER DATA ON INJURIES INFLICTED, THE PARENTS, THE CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING THE INJURIES, THE LENGTH OF TIME THE CHILDREN SPENT IN THE HOSPITAL, THE SOURCES OF REFERRAL, AND THE OUTCOME OF THE INCIDENTS. THESE DATA ARE THEN COMPARED WITH OTHER FINDINGS REPORTED IN THE LITERATURE. A SERIES OF 20 TABLES PRESENTS THE STUDY STATISTICS IN DETAIL. CHILD ABUSE WAS FOUND TO BE MUCH MORE PREVALENT THAN SUSPECTED BY AUSTRALIAN AUTHORITIES, AND MOST OF THE CASES SEEN AT THE HOSPITAL INVOLVED MALE CHILDREN, ALTHOUGH GIRLS WERE AS LIKELY AS BOYS TO BE INVOLVED IN MULTIPLE ABUSE INCIDENTS. MOST OF THE CHILDREN WERE FROM LOWER SOCIOECONOMIC FAMILIES, 44.3 PERCENT WERE UNDER 12 MONTHS OF AGE, 80.3 PERCENT WERE UNDER 3 YEARS OF AGE, AND GIRLS WERE MORE LIKELY THAN BOYS TO SUFFER 3 OR MORE INJURIES. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AGE AND SEVERITY OF INJURY WAS SIGNIFICANT AT THE 0.001 LEVEL: CHILDREN UNDER AGE 2 WERE LESS LIKELY TO HAVE BRUISES AND WELTS AND WERE FAR MORE LIKELY TO BE SUBJECTED TO SEVERE ABUSE. THE YOUNGEST CHILD AND THE ONLY CHILD WERE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE LIKELY TO BE ABUSED. THE 316 CHILDREN STUDIED CAME FROM 301 FAMILIES, AND 52 FAMILIES WERE INVOLVED IN MULTIPLE INCIDENTS. THE FAMILIES WERE OVERWHELMINGLY YOUNG WITH ONE OR BOTH PARENTS UNDER AGE 25, THEY TENDED TO BE UNSKILLED WORKERS BUT NOT UNEMPLOYED, THEY WERE MARRIED, AND THE CHILDREN INJURED WERE NATURAL CHILDREN. FOLLOWING HOSPITALIZATION MOST OF THE CHILDREN RETURNED HOME. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT FURTHER STUDY IS NEEDED, AND A SERIES OF TOPICS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH ARE SUGGESTED. THE DATA RECORDING CARD FOR THE STUDY AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY ARE PROVIDED. (GLR)